Chapter 31
The room was in complete chaos. Potato, being chased by Durian, had long since switched from riding on its legs to crawling and rolling on the ground. It was rolling quite fast, and Durian couldn't catch up with it for a while.
Corn chased after Durian, pinching a sticky corn ball and throwing it at it, trying to trap Durian.
However, Durian reacted extremely quickly, easily dodging the corn cob by swaying its body. The corn cob landed on the ground, and the smoke from the explosion didn't even touch it.
It paused for a second, then turned around and rolled towards the corn with a low growl.
The corn gave a soft shriek and turned to run away.
Potatoes, having escaped disaster for the time being, got up and chuckled smugly.
It wasn't idle either; it tried to quietly pick up the corn cobs from the ground, but its leaf hand got stuck and it couldn't break free no matter what it did.
Little Apple, covered in gray smoke, ran back and forth, trying to spread the smoke to obscure the view.
Unfortunately, it wasn't strong enough; it only managed to spread out two or three centimeters before being suddenly knocked down by the rushing corn, rolling away into the corner with a "gurgling" sound, accompanied by smoke.
The corn bumped into the apple, then knocked over the corner of the table. Seeing the durian chasing after it, it imitated the potato, lying down on the ground and quickly rolling to the side.
The carnivorous plant stood in the very center, looking around for a while, wanting to help but not knowing where to start.
In the past, when trying to break up a fight in the plant garden, the only way was to punch each other. But Potato was the one being chased, and Durian was a newcomer, and a high-level exotic plant at that, so its fighting power was definitely not low.
It has probably not yet shown its true strength. The carnivorous plant is worried that if it gets involved in the battle, it will provoke it and cause a bigger commotion, which will be noticed by humans outside.
This is, after all, the Blackridge Mountain Base, where all humans are superhumans, unlike other ordinary safe zones.
The money tree perched on the low cabinet, its long, outstretched leaves reaching downwards, while simultaneously raising a protective shield to surround the durian.
The durian didn't seem to care at all. It rolled forward, shattering the protective shield and even pricking the leaves of the money tree.
The little cabbage grows close to the money tree, with soft vines clinging to its head and mimosa plants covering its face.
Durians are covered in thorns and move very fast, so the few of them couldn't be of much help.
The little cabbage looked towards the table opposite, where there were still ungrown cabbage shells and a bowl of cabbage.
It thought, why not open the cabbage shells and hide inside together? The cabbage shells are so hard, they should be able to block the durian...
The sleeping spray had long since run out, and the empty bottle was carelessly tossed on the ground.
The potato, still stuck to the corn cobs on the ground, was even more panicked than before: "Waaah!"
The carnivorous plant tried to help it, but was tripped by a rolling ear of corn.
Just as the corn was about to be overtaken by the durian, the soft vine heard the carrot's voice and reached out to unlock the door.
The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and all the plants stopped moving, including the durian.
Carrots and peppers stood at the door, along with Qian Hui and Nan Tingjin who had rushed over.
Another super-grade exotic plant appeared, and the cold-faced human behind it didn't smell like someone to mess with either. Durian kept quiet for the time being and retreated without making a sound.
However, the scent emanating from that top-tier exotic plant seems a little familiar...
Durian looked at it suspiciously, still wary.
Orange, not very big... wait, isn't that... carrot?!
Potato was still whimpering, so Qianhui quickly went over and picked it up.
He wiped the corn kernels off Potato's hands with a tissue, and Potato jumped into his arms, pointing at the durian and whimpering pitifully.
The money tree jumped off the cabinet, followed closely by the cabbage and apple, who all hid behind Qian Hui.
The carnivorous plant remained where it was, keeping a close eye on the durian on the ground, constantly watching to prevent it from doing anything rash.
Qian Hui touched each of the plants around her: "Okay, okay, I'm back... What happened?"
The plants chattered amongst themselves, gesturing and demonstrating to him.
With Sunflower absent, communication wasn't as smooth, and it took Qianhui quite a while to roughly understand what had happened.
After the durian woke up, it was relatively calm and did not attack proactively, but it was still very wary.
It refused any food or pills and wondered where the other durian from yesterday had gone.
Sunflower was still around then, and we half-coaxed her by saying that Durian No. 2 had gone out on business and we wanted to wait for Carrot to come back before we could explain it to her personally. Durian would definitely recognize its taste.
Later, the sunflower was taken away by the little bamboo shoot, and the durian couldn't help but ask again when its brother would return.
Potatoes are straightforward; if you say they have no brothers, that's because carrots have evolved.
Durian panicked immediately. Durian No. 2 was clearly there last night, and how could a carrot turn into a durian!
Seeing that things were going badly, Corn quickly tried to coax Durian with words the sunflower had used, but Durian wouldn't listen anymore.
It chased after the potato, trying to find out exactly why the carrot could turn into a durian.
Seeing that it was agitated, Corn quickly took out the Sleep Spray, but Durian looked round and clumsy and dodged very quickly, and was in a state of distrust towards them.
Corn had been chasing after the durian all the way, and a bottle of spray was almost used up. She wanted to leave the room and lock the durian away to use it again.
If it tries to escape, the durian will chase after it, and it won't allow any plant to leave the room.
Its main focus was still on potatoes, and it wouldn't be satisfied until it got to the bottom of things.
The potato didn't know how to explain it either. It didn't understand what the disguise potion was; all it saw was a carrot turned into a durian.
But the cause of the matter seemed to be the very thing he had said. Potato felt wronged and a little guilty, so he buried his face in Qian Hui's arms and whimpered.
Qian Hui sighed, hugging it and the corn: "It's good that it's not hurt."
He looked up and saw that the durian had slowly rolled over to the carrot and stood up.
It was quite bold, walking around the carrot and getting closer and closer.
As they got closer, Durian realized that the smell of the carrot was very familiar, at least half similar to that of Durian No. 2 from last night.
It moved closer, wanting to examine the carrot more closely.
Carrot guessed what Durian was going to do, and stared at him with its beady black eyes: "Huh?"
It was this sound that made Durian even more certain.
It froze completely, hesitating in place.
Last night, Durian No. 2 made the same sound, telling it to come with me, eat something, and go to sleep.
So, the carrot in front of you is Durian No. 2...
The potato is right; its brother is not actually a durian, but a carrot.
Durian's mind was in turmoil, and she cautiously uttered, "Ugh?"
The carrot didn't really want to deal with it and planned to lock it up in something until it behaved completely before letting it out.
During this break, Qianhui opened the illustrated guide and bought a durian guide.
[Durian]: A high-level mutated plant
[Purchased Guide: A very simple durian, but with a somewhat impatient personality and occasional recklessness. Its intelligence is neither too high nor too low; it possesses high fighting power and many skills. To facilitate hiding and avoid being disliked, it knows how to conceal its scent. Besides a strong desire to be with other durians of the same variety, it has few preferences. Its biggest wish is to find other mutated durians like itself and build a durian army.]
After reading the description in the guide, Qianhui finally understood why the durian had come back with the plants last night.
The carrot drank the disguise potion and coincidentally turned into a durian, which the durian mistook for the same species.
And it was precisely because of this that the carrot turned back into its original form, and the durian discovered that Durian No. 2 was missing...
But the disguise potion was gone, and Qianhui was a little distressed. Then she saw Durian circling around Carrot and beckoned Carrot over.
“Radish,” he said in a low voice, “can you still take it with you? It seems to recognize you.”
The carrot hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Ugh..."
It's possible to bring them along; the main damage dealers like Corn and Potato were essentially brought out by it.
But it's not as free here as outside. Durian has to be obedient, or it will lock itself up.
Qian Hui breathed a sigh of relief and patted Carrot's head: "Let's give it a try, thank you Carrot."
So the carrot turned around and came to the durian.
It let out a "whoosh," clearly indicating that the durian was now its subordinate and had to listen to it.
The durian was still pondering, "How can a carrot turn into a durian?" with a dazed look in its eyes.
But the smell of the carrot is unmistakable; it's Durian No. 2 from last night. Since it's Durian No. 2, it must be its own brother.
My brother is a top-tier exotic plant, and he's much stronger, so we definitely have to listen to him.
And since Durian No. 2 was transformed from a carrot, it can definitely turn back, right...?
Durian responded, slightly retracting its sharp thorns, and obediently followed behind Carrot.
Carrot gave it a bag of cookies, which it ate.
In just a few minutes, durian's loyalty increased from 10% to 40%.
The study finally quieted down, and the plants straightened the tables and chairs that had been knocked over.
Little Apple coughed out two puffs of smoke, picked up the empty spray bottle, and threw it away.
Then, a subordinate brought up lunch.
Qianhui took an extra small bowl specifically for feeding the plants.
He fed the man-eating plant a meatball and recounted what had happened that morning.
Upon learning that the nut had been found, it fell into a deep sleep. The carnivorous plant was filled with mixed emotions, its head bowed and its eyes filled with worry.
The carrot came over to comfort her, saying that with the sunflower watching over them, the nut would surely wake up soon.
Not only sunflowers, but also Qianhui is here. Jian Guo used to like Qianhui the most.
Before Qian Hui found them, Carrot and Carnivorous Flower had been in the apocalypse for too long and had become irritable and ferocious. It was only after they returned to his side that they slowly returned to their original appearance in the plant courtyard.
Even if the nuts don't want to pay attention to them and the sunflowers, they will definitely respond to Qianhui; it's only a matter of time before it awakens.
The man-eating flower nodded, its mood improving slightly.
After lunch, Qianhui hurried back to the restricted area forest.
The man-eating flower is going along, as is the carrot, and it's also accompanied by a durian.
Everyone wanted to go see durian, and Corn and Potato couldn't sit still any longer.
In the end, Qianhui simply took all the plants with her to visit the sleeping giant nut.
Nan Tingjin still escorted him across; otherwise, Qian Hui wouldn't have been able to cross the iron gate and quickly reach the mountains and forests.
After packing, Qian Hui took the plants from her backpack, blindfolded herself, and was carried away by Nan Tingjin.
As they went downstairs, Qian Hui wrapped her arms around Nan Tingjin's neck and asked nervously, "Will I take up your time?"
Nan Tingjin is the leader, so he should be very busy, but he has been spending all his time with me.
The modified car has not been moved and is still parked in its original position.
Reaching the car door, Nan Tingjin kissed Qian Hui's cheek before answering, "No."
He carried Qianhui inside, closed the car door, and turned around to the other side.
The backpack and plants were placed in the back seat. Qianhui sat obediently and couldn't help but touch her cheek.
Soon, the modified vehicle left the low building and drove towards the rear of the base.
In a distant corner, two figures stood together, watching the back of the modified car.
One of them was short and thin, named Shan Jun, and was a member of the team that had previously captured the man-eating flower.
He was the only one who said something wrong during the mission that angered Nan Tingjin. He was not only reprimanded on the spot, but also punished after returning.
Once the modified car was completely out of sight, Shan Jun asked the person next to him, "Where did he go this morning?"
“It’s over there on the back mountain,” his companion replied, “I don’t know the exact location.”
The people sent to follow him dared not get too close, for fear of being discovered by Nan Tingjin, so they only knew his general whereabouts.
Dan Jun frowned and asked again, "Where is Yuanji?"
"Captain Yuan accepted the assignment and left not long ago."
With Yuanji gone, the trivial matters in the base will be handed over to the remaining captains.
As for Nan Tingjin... most of the time, he doesn't get involved in things, unless there are problems that others really can't solve.
On the other hand, he is indeed very strong, so strong that no one can rival him. Even if he only has a title and does nothing, outsiders will still be wary of the Blackridge Mountain base.
However, ever since their failed mission to hunt down the man-eating flower, Shan Jun felt that Nan Tingjin had changed a lot.
Especially now, he has personally brought someone back from outside, whose background is unknown.
Yuanji went to see Nanting yesterday and came back to warn them to keep quiet and keep their eyes and mouths shut if they didn't want to die.
Shan Juncai didn't believe the rumors that Nan Tingjin had a lover. How could someone like him like someone else?
The back mountain of the base... that area is not currently used and has not been cleared, so it is practically abandoned.
What was Nan Tingjin doing there with his men?
Dan Jun didn't linger for long before turning and leaving.
On his way back, he took out the communicator he was carrying.
There's a new message inside: the coordinates of the signal, originating from Sky Base.
Nan Tingjin despises all medicines and never accepts any overtures from Sky Base. However, his subordinates may not be so, as they still secretly purchase medicines or supplies from Sky Base.
Shan Jun opened the message, which said that Mr. Wen wanted to come over soon and hoped that he could find an opportunity to ask Nan Tingjin.
Without a second thought, he replied, "No need to ask, the chief will not agree."
Then, Shan Jun added, "If you want to come, you'll have to use unconventional methods."
—
For the next two days, Qianhui led the plants to the woods behind the mountain.
Aside from mealtimes, he would stay there for the entire day, and even considered staying overnight.
But just to be on the safe side, Nan Tingjin stayed by his side the whole time. Only one cabbage husk could be used at a time. Qian Hui felt it wouldn't be right to let Nan Tingjin sleep in the wilderness at night.
So he went back with Nan Tingjin that night and came back early the next morning.
At night, the sunflower would keep the nut company, and the other plants would take turns guarding it for two days.
The durian, always carried by the carrot, became very obedient and learned to be familiar with other plants.
After two days, the nut's shell had returned to normal, changing from grayish-brown to light brown and becoming smoother.
When Qianhui is with Jian Guo, she talks to it constantly, recounting in fits and starts the stories of the plant garden from the past.
They worked together on time, played together, and carved wood together.
Leaning against the warm giant nut, Qianhui apologized to it, saying that she was late.
However, for two whole days, Nuts showed no signs of waking up.
In the game's encyclopedia, its image is clearly lit up, yet it still shows as not yet bound to another player.
Qian Hui was at a loss, but it seemed there was nothing more he could do than wait.
Since entering the base, the growth of the balance has also stagnated.
Qianhui wondered if having more friends around her would be the only way to awaken the nut.
But he didn't have enough money to buy the Resurrection Beans, and he didn't want to leave the nuts there and go outside to find other plants.
The more Qian Hui thought about it, the more confused he became. He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind of all the jumbled thoughts, and flipped through the game interface again.
After completing the main quest of feeding evolution water, the new quest is to form bonds with 50 mutated plants, with no limit on loyalty, and the reward is 2000 faction points.
Fifty mutated plants are far too many... but fortunately, Qianhui had spent time in the forest before, and had formed a bond with some plants she had only met once, bringing the total to 39.
Eleven more are needed... Even if Nuts wakes up immediately, it won't be enough.
This task is unavailable, and so are the side quests, unless two more intermediate-level mutated plants suddenly appear around me.
The remaining tasks include a hidden mission to sneak up on the zombie camp and a hidden story point to unlock.
The hidden plot points are still at the level of the update from two days ago, at 20%.
Since Nuts hasn't woken up, he has to stay at the base and find a way to do something else.
Moreover, this plot point might be related to the nuts, and it would be even better if unlocking it would provide clues to awaken them.
The small print below the progress bar remains unchanged, displaying "Exploration of the restricted area of the base has been completed."
Qian Hui thought for a moment and then went to find Nan Tingjin.
"Xiao Jin," he asked nervously, "I'd like to see other parts of the base, is that alright?"
Nan Tingjin stood by the car door and reached out to Qian Hui.
Qianhui instinctively snuggled into his arms and looked at him obediently.
“Okay,” Nan Tingjin pinched his chin, “blindfold him.”
There are people everywhere in the base at any time, so Qianhui needs to maintain her disguise and not easily reveal her eyes.
Qian Hui nodded: "Mm."
With some time still left, it would be perfect to take a stroll around the base before heading back for lunch. He returned to the giant nut and whispered, "Goodbye."
The sunflower and a few other plants stayed behind, while Qianhui, carrying only chili peppers and carnivorous plants, left with Nantingjin.
After leaving the perimeter of the restricted area, Qianhui blindfolded herself again with a strip of cloth.
The modified car slowed down, changed direction, and slowly drove towards the residential area, then crossed the residential area and arrived at the other side of the square.
Qianhui couldn't see outside, but Nantingjin would tell him where they were.
Qian Hui also kept a close eye on the progress of the plot points, and sure enough, it increased by another 10%, with an additional line: "Exploration of the base residential area has been completed."
The plaza and the buildings at the very front belong to the base's front gate. As the modified vehicle drove along the road, it was immediately marked as complete, with a progress of 40%.
Then, the modified car turned a corner, and Nan Tingjin said, "That's another square over there."
It's called a square, but it's actually a former neighborhood park that has been completely preserved. However, most of the flowers and plants have died, making it look somewhat desolate.
The park's entrances on both sides are narrow, making it impossible for modified vehicles to enter, so the exploration is not considered complete, and the progress bar does not increase.
"What square?" Qian Hui quietly lifted the cloth strip a little bit, then quickly covered it up again. "I want to go and see."
Nan Tingjin agreed with a "okay" and parked the car on the side of the road.
He helped Qian Hui down, and they slowly walked into the park.
There were people around, and several footsteps passed quickly in the distance, making Qian Hui a little nervous.
Fortunately, there was probably no one else in the park. Qianhui slowly walked around half the circle and found some old amusement facilities.
He asked curiously, "What is this?"
Nan Tingjin glanced at it twice: "It's damaged, I can't tell."
It was actually a swing, but now only a bent iron railing remains, with other things hanging on it by others.
Qian Hui said "Oh," and slowly walked to another spot, touching another section of iron railing: "What about this one?"
Nan Tingjin was silent for a moment: "I don't know."
Qian Hui had no choice but to continue forward, and asked again, "This..."
"I'm not sure, it's damaged too."
“Okay…” Qian Hui stopped asking and walked silently for a while, smelling a hint of soil and grass.
The flower bed in the center was almost abandoned, with only two wildflowers blooming sparsely, nearly drowned out by weeds.
Qian Hui reached out to touch it, but accidentally stepped on a pebble and almost fell.
Nan Tingjin reached out to support him in time, picked him up, and placed him on the edge of the flower bed.
The park was quite large, and Qian Hui walked around it completely, including the surrounding paths. By this time, her breathing was a little unsteady.
Nan Tingjin looked at him quietly for a while, then bent down and leaned closer: "Where else do you want to go?"
The exploration base park is now complete, with progress reaching 60%.
Qian Hui was in a good mood, tugging at Nan Tingjin's sleeve: "Anything is fine, where else..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was kissed on the cheek.
Just then, a breeze picked up in the park, causing the pebbles on the ground to rustle, and it sounded like someone was passing by in the distance.
Qian Hui hurriedly snuggled into Nan Tingjin's arms, asking anxiously, "Is anyone there?"
Nan Tingjin glanced at the empty street: "Yes."
Qian Hui became even more nervous and tried to push Nan Tingjin away.
Nan Tingjin didn't move an inch. His slight struggle was too weak, and he was kissed on the cheek again.
Qian Hui could only shrink into Nan Tingjin's arms and whisper, "That's enough..."
He felt a tug at the back of his collar; it must have been the chili pepper hiding in his hood.
Qian Hui vaguely sensed something, so she tore off the strip of cloth and looked outside, but there was no one there at all.
He was a little angry, glared at Nan Tingjin, and then kicked him again while sitting by the flower bed.
Nan Tingjin straightened the strips of cloth for Qian Hui, and asked softly, "Shall I carry you back?"
Qian Hui slowly agreed and reached out to hug him.
He looked so innocent that when they returned to the modified car, Nan Tingjin put him down and kissed him again.
Qian Hui couldn't dodge it and wrinkled her nose: "Why do you keep kissing me?"
Nan Tingjin lowered her eyes and said, "Can't a boyfriend kiss you?"
It seems... it seems possible, but we didn't do it this often when we were together before.
They used to only see each other once every six days, and even when they did meet, it wouldn't be like this.
The car door opened, and Nan Tingjin didn't immediately carry Qian Hui inside, asking, "Is it okay?"
Qian Hui stammered, "...Yes."
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